Here is a web designer joke:
"When is a website finished?"
Various answers follow.
Answer - "When the budget is used up."
Church and Change will be finished when their money is gone. They are not self-sustaining. They have been living on the synod dole, Schwan grants, Thrivent loot, and the generosity of the women's groups. "Tell me again why you need $5,000 for rock n roll equipment at a church? Outreach? OK, we'll write a check tonight."
What will endure is the smart-aleck culture they have established so effectively in both synods, in most of their schools. Note how this mirrors what happened with Seminex in Missouri, a trend they denounced with righteous wrath for years.
Part One - Deception. No, it was not happening and everyone named was a Confessional Lutheran, "a fine, upstanding, healthy normal, patriotic, American boy." Someone could pose as a Confessional Lutheran missionary to the Commies in Russia and work with a CG fanatic or two. No problem. Nothing to see. Move on.
Part Two - We all know, but. The smart-alecks, winking at their buddies, began their attack on Biblical doctrine with "we all know" while taking away what they just said or wrote by adding "but..."
Part Three - Dummy Discipline. The same smart-alecks run around admonishing anyone who seems to be a fly in the ointment of their unctuous false doctrine. They scream, whimper, and cry about their hurt feelings while flailing anyone who notices their schemes.
9 comments:
Hello Pastor GJ! In the February edition of Forward In Christ A Lutheran Voice, is the second article of John Brenner's Christ's Love, Jesus is the world's only Savior. Something tells me that they might keep this posted on- line as opposed to last months article. Brenner has kept the piece very Scriptural.(Can't go wrong with Scripture!!)I will quote the first few paragraghs under the section, "By Faith In Jesus We Receive God's Gift":
"I fthe world's only Savior is a perfect Savior who atoned for the sins of the whole world, we might conmclude that everyone is saved. Yet the Bible tells us that Jesus is the worlds only Savior, it also tells us that there is only one way to salvation-through faith in Jesus."
"Our Lord in his infinite wisdom determined that salvation is to be received by faith alone. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"(John3:16)."
"Faith is not a good work that earns salvation. Faith only receives what God has promised. "For it is by grace you have been saved,m through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gigt of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."(Ephesians 2:8,9). Because salvation is by grace alone. "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring-not only those whoare of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham"(Romans 4:16)."
"But what does it mean to believe? What is saving faith? To believe or have faith is to trust or have confidence. "Now faith is being sur eof what we hope for and certain of what we do not see"(Hebrews 11:1). Saving Faith is trust in the Savior and God's promises of salvation."
I thought you might wanted to read this. Brenner does quote Romans 4:18-25. When he uses the word, justification, he keeps it in Scriptural terms. Perhaps we will hear from Brett Meyer.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
Hi Dr. Jackson,
I see from FaceBook that Mequon has 45 juniors from MLC visiting. They are there for a 3-day conference on missions, which is probably larded with CG factoids and pablum.
Since they don't have GA anymore, I wonder if they still do the Bone Cruncher where the seminary students tell the visiting incoming class just how bad they are going to have it for GA. Probably not. However, BoneCruncher was the ultimate insult--to tell people who just spent years of their lives and much of their loot that they were going to have to drink obnoxious mixtures, be pull into the seminary lagoon on the end of a rope, and whatnot. Anyway, enough students got the messages and decided not to attend there, but go on to the ELS' Bethany Sem, or one of the LCMS seminaries. So the sem professors at Mequon knew that they were teaching seminary students who KNEW ahead of time that went on there, and they'd STILL come anyway. It's so surreal that one could make a Twilight Zone episode out of it.
--------
Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary welcomes 45 juniors from our college of ministry, Martin Luther College. These men travelled from New Ulm, MN to be here for Mission and Ministry, our three-day seminar on Home and World Missions and Congregational Ministry in WELS. We are hapy to have you here!
Mission and Ministry | Mission and Ministry 2010
missionandministry.org
Mission and Ministry is a three-day seminar at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, WI. Mission and Ministry features a number of presentations and workshops designed to inform and motivate current and future pastors of WELS to eagerly support the overall mission and ministry of the synod. ...
about an hour ago · Comment · Like
Here is the bottom line: how truthful and reliable are WELS/ELS anymore? What can be fully trusted and to be of sound value?
Did someone mention UOJ?
WELS (speaking through John Brenner), "If the world's only Savior is a perfect Savior who atoned for the sins of the whole world, we might conclude that everyone is saved. Yet the Bible tells us that Jesus is the worlds only Savior, it also tells us that there is only one way to salvation-through faith in Jesus."
This isn't entirely true. In Luke 18:20 Christ declares that keeping the whole law is one way to be saved. Fulfill God's Law and you will be saved by your own righteousness. I confess that no one can do this as all men are born in sin and original sin clings to their body from conception. Certainly this is what Christ did in our place. He was not born in sin. He fulfilled the law. He was perfectly righteous. He paid the price of the whole worlds sin, dying on the cross as payment for our sins and being raised again as the Mediator between God and man. Christ's righteousness is the righteousness with which a person is saved just as Christ reigns eternally because of His righteousness so will anyone who has Christ's righteousness - declared by God's divine verdict to be righteous in Christ. Here is the rub, UOJ declares the whole world righteous. And since we know the world has no righteousness of their own it must be Christ's righteousness they have. If Christ reigns forever because of His righteousness then anyone declared to have His righteousness will reign for eternity with Him. But UOJ says no, just having Christ's righteousness is not enough, you must also believe (have faith) that God has declared you righteous. This is the "Faith only receives what God has promised" teaching of UOJ. UOJ makes faith a function of the Law since any requirement demanded of someone who is already declared by God to be righteous before they can receive what righteousness earns makes it the Law.
WELS, "Our Lord in his infinite wisdom determined that salvation is to be received by faith alone. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"(John3:16)."
This is UOJ's attempt to reconcile their man made rational doctrine with Holy Scripture but makes a mockery of Christ's righteousness and what it means to be justified by Christ.
Cont...
Cont...
WELS, "Faith is not a good work that earns salvation. Faith only receives what God has promised."
This is UOJ's perversion of the Holy Spirit's faith worked in man, by grace, through Word and Baptism alone. Question to ask the next UOJ heretic who makes this statement, "If faith does nothing but receive what God has promised, and faith is not a change in man but a change in the relationship between God and man (see Buchholz quote below), then why must we be born again? And how is a man born again if it's not by faith (John 3)? And if an unbeliever is carnally minded and alive to sin how do they become spiritually minded and dead to sins and under grace if it is not by faith?" Romans 8:6, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Christ's doctrine of Justification by Faith alone retains Christ as Mediator between God and man. Through the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit's faith we cling to Christ as our redeemer from sin, death and the power of the devil. Through faith we die to sin and are raised, as Christ was, to live under His grace unto salvation. Through faith we are no longer carnally minded but spiritually minded in Christ. Through faith the Holy Spirit works these changes in us to be presented to God the Father as His dear children. Through faith we immediately receive Christ's righteousness for the forgiveness of sins. For those who are accounted righteous by God do not live in mortal sin.
UOJ perverts Christ's doctrine of Justification by Faith alone. Having perverted His doctrine, the central doctrine of Christian faith, Christ is no longer in the doctrine they teach. They have separated themselves from Christ and have gone about to create their own righteousness. Romans 10:3
WELS DP Pastor Jon Buchholz, 2005 WELS Convention essay on Justification Expounded by Scripture
"Here is the legal or juridical nature of justification, revealed at Calvary. The change does not take place in the sinner. The change takes place in the relationship or the status between a sinner and God.2 A verdict has been rendered, which declares man free of sin and guilt, righteous in God’s sight, and worthy of eternal life, for Jesus’ sake." Page 2, first full paragraph
Cont...
WELS, "Faith is not a good work that earns salvation. Faith only receives what God has promised."
This is UOJ's perversion of the Holy Spirit's faith worked in man, by grace, through Word and Baptism alone. Question to ask the next UOJ heretic who makes this statement, "If faith does nothing but receive what God has promised, and faith is not a change in man but a change in the relationship between God and man (see Buchholz quote below), then why must we be born again? And how is a man born again if it's not by faith (John 3)? And if an unbeliever is carnally minded and alive to sin how do they become spiritually minded and dead to sins and under grace if it is not by faith?" Romans 8:6, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Romans 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Christ's doctrine of Justification by Faith alone retains Christ as Mediator between God and man. Through the gracious gift of the Holy Spirit's faith we cling to Christ as our redeemer from sin, death and the power of the devil. Through faith we die to sin and are raised, as Christ was, to live under His grace unto salvation. Through faith we are no longer carnally minded but spiritually minded in Christ. Through faith the Holy Spirit works these changes in us to be presented to God the Father as His dear children. Through faith we immediately receive Christ's righteousness for the forgiveness of sins. For those who are accounted righteous by God do not live in mortal sin.
UOJ perverts Christ's doctrine of Justification by Faith alone. Having perverted His doctrine, the central doctrine of Christian faith, Christ is no longer in the doctrine they teach. They have separated themselves from Christ and have gone about to create their own righteousness. Romans 10:3
WELS DP Pastor Jon Buchholz, 2005 WELS Convention essay on Justification Expounded by Scripture
"Here is the legal or juridical nature of justification, revealed at Calvary. The change does not take place in the sinner. The change takes place in the relationship or the status between a sinner and God.2 A verdict has been rendered, which declares man free of sin and guilt, righteous in God’s sight, and worthy of eternal life, for Jesus’ sake." Page 2, first full paragraph
Thank you Brett for your "full response." I know that you have commented about Brenner several times. I did not check to see if the first article was put back on the FIC A Lutheran Voice Webstry. I remember the speech from the 2009 convention, and would like to read it again. Thanks for your wisdom on the blog.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
Brett,
You misquote Buchholz. He does not say "faith is not a change in man but a change in the relationship between God and man (see Buchholz quote below),..."
Faith is not a change in the relationship between God and man; justification is.
Anonymous, my statement that you quote is a question I suggest everyone pose to UOJ peddlers who teach a false faith which does nothing but recieve what UOJ says has already been declared.
My quote of Buchholz at the end of my post still stands as a direct quote. I was simply referencing his public statement. I'll include another quote in the same essay which also speaks to my suggested question.
Buchholz:
"Faith doesn’t bring anything into existence that doesn’t already exist. Faith doesn’t cause something to happen. Faith simply grasps—trusts—something that already is in place." Page 5, 7th paragraph
The overall point is that UOJ perverts faith and direct to my comments it perverts Christ's righteousness to the point that those who have it are not saved unless God works faith in them to believe that they already have it. This is just one of the many contradictions created by UOJ.
Sad part is that UOJ false teachers say that without UOJ there is no comfort. UOJ says that if the world isn't already forgiven of all sin, justified and righteous by God's divine verdict before faith then there's nothing for faith to hold onto and there's no comfort. But when the world is declared justified, righteous and God is at peace with them there is no comfort either since UOJ teaches they are still under God's wrath. We are righteous and loved by God… We are sinners and hated by God.
A great example of UOJ's damnable contradictions is found in Forrest Bivens essay, Getting The Right Message Out – And Getting It Out The Right Way. "Turning the leaves of the Holy Scriptures while still ignorant of the distinction between the law and the gospel, a person receives the impression that a great number of contradictions are contained in the Scriptures; in fact, the entire Scriptures seem to be made up of contradictions, worse than the Koran of the Turks (Walther, p 61).
We and our students will ideally be fully aware of these truths continuously:
• We are righteous and loved by God…
We are sinners and hated by God
• We are righteous by faith without works…We are righteous by doing what is righteous
• We are blessed in the sight of God…
We are under a curse of God
• We are perfectly secure and need not fear…
We are constantly in danger and do well to fear Page 13/14 transition
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BivensMessage.pdf
Post a Comment